


i will love you till the end of time

by wiltedpleasures



Category: Mr. Robot (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-28
Updated: 2015-11-05
Packaged: 2018-04-23 20:38:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4891324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wiltedpleasures/pseuds/wiltedpleasures
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set five years after the season one finale: basically these two are acting like an old married couple, Darlene is whipped for her woman, and Angela is a #boss as CEO of E Corp.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. a proposition

Darlene adjusts the lapels of her army jacket with a huff, staring up at the elevator level panel blinking with light, signaling her floor was approaching. Well, not her floor per say. It was Angela’s floor, one perk of being the CEO of E Corp was having a whole floor to yourself. Just because. She still couldn’t believe her longtime friend was actually here of all places, making her mark in a former lion’s den of a corporation and turning into something truly good. It was so…Angela.

The former hacker reaches the floor and exits the elevator, her combat boots thumping against the thin carpet of the long hallway leading to the secretary’s desk. Darlene opens her mouth to identify herself but the secretary waves her off and pushes a button, the large glass doors behind her swinging open. “Ms. Moss is expecting you, she said you might be running a little late. Go right on in.”

Darlene doesn’t question it, snagging a cherry lollipop from the desk before sauntering into the large office room. Angela’s back is turned to her, looking out the large skyline windows that occupy most of her office. The sun reflects off the CEO’s blonde hair, making it look like a shimmering crown. Darlene finds that oddly fitting, smiling at the thought before skipping over to the recliner next the window, lounging lazily and looking up at her friend expectantly.

“Hi,” Darlene says, the lollipop rattling against her teeth.

Angela turns to her, white teeth appearing under pastel pink lips. Darlene can almost see her expression change immediately, the day’s exhaustion drains and a small smile lays in its wake. She walks away from the window to plop down on the seat closest to Darlene, leaning her head back on the cushion. “Hey D,” she says, reaching over to tap Darlene on the tip of her nose. The brunette wrinkles her nose before sticking her tongue out.

“So what’s the cause of this random super duper important meeting today, Ms. Moss?” Darlene asks, faux authoritively. Angela purses her plush lips and narrows her blue eyes slightly, studying the other woman. She may be thirty-two years old now, but Darlene could still see young Ange inside. There’s some wrinkles forming around the corners of her mouth and eyes that makeup still can’t quite hide, but nothing major looks different. Same blue eyes that twinkle perfectly, blonde hair that glimmers just as much.

“You’re upset with me,” the businesswoman decides finally, placing one hand in her lap and the other positioned on the seat cushion. Darlene flicks her eyes down at her fingers. Ringless for today. She wasn’t sure if her childhood friend was seeing anybody at the moment.

They were fairly close, but not _that_ close. She kept casual contact with Angela, dropping in now and then, per usual. Darlene had gotten better with opening up with Angela and the feeling was mutual, but things changed once Angela took Terry Colby’s offer at Evil Corp. She had new gears working in her moral compass, said morals getting compromised at times due to the corrupt corporation she worked for. There were occasions where Darlene was the one to feel the wrath of this Evil Corp version of Angela, who Darlene sometimes had to remind her of what her original goal was and why she was there in the first place. Usually Angela’s late mother’s wedding ring was a physical reminder, but Darlene noticed Angela was ringless for today.

Angela’s plan seemed to work in the end, Darlene and the rest of fsociety helping a tad. It all seemed to pay off in the end, five years later no less. Angela truly worked from within all the way to the top, sending the rest of Evil Corp’s crew to prison or removed from the corporation entirely in some way or another if their lawyers wormed their way out of a prison sentence. Tyrell finally got convicted for Sharon Knowles’ murder, Phillip Price joining him in prison for a number of disgusting acts of pure horrors in the name of greed or protection for his beloved company.

What followed in the coming years and was still a work in progress was the reconstruction period, with Angela completely rebuilding the company’s image. Evil Corp kept the letter name, E Corp standing in for the new CEO’s late mother: Emily Moss. Angela claimed it was partially because that was the whole reason why she wanted to create a change for the corporation, to honor her mother. Another reason being completely restaffing the former staff, now imprisoned, into booming career opportunities for women in STEM.

Darlene sighs, coming back into reality. She crunches hard onto the lollipop, the sharp texture waking her up. She hadn’t gotten much sleep last night. “I’m not upset with _you_. Just…your _people_ ,” she explains in a huff, hoisting herself up to walk sluggishly to the window. Her back was killing her, Elliot’s bed was a piece of shit.

“They received orders from me so indirectly, yes. You are mad at me,” Angela objects, shifting her lower body to face the other woman. She brings her knee up on the recliner to do so, her slacks rumpling slightly. White was her choice of the day, with a pastel blue blazer to match. _The blue complimented her eyes nicely,_ Darlene thought to herself. It was a nice change from her former outfits, not that those weren’t nice in the first place. Evil Corp just consisted of dozens and dozens of black blazers for Angela.

“I’m not mad!” Darlene yells, her eyebrows raised and her hands outstretched in the air for effect. Angela’s eyes widen at her tone and cocks her head back, Darlene already bowing her head and tugging a hand through her long brown hair in frustration.

“I’m sorry. Babe, I am not mad at you. I’m just….confused on why you are choosing to demolish the arcade,” Darlene tries again, softer in tone this time. Angela smiles a little at Darlene’s sweet demeanor and vulnerability, the woman was learning over the years to become more open with her. The use of the word babe helped too, she used to want to cringe every time Ollie or some other dumb former boyfriend of hers at the time called her that. Angela found it endearing coming from her childhood friend’s lips.

“I don’t think you could be mad at me even if you tried,” the blonde says softly, getting up and coming closer to the other woman standing by the window.

Darlene tries to smother her smile around the lollipop stick but fails, choosing to look away from the hypnotic shimmering blue eyes of the other woman to look out into the city skyline from the window. “Darlene Alderson is not whipped,” she mutters, a blush fighting its way up her neck and onto her cheeks.

Angela grins and lightly nudges her shoulder with the army jacket clad one, rocking their bodies a little. “Hate to inform you, but you are so whipped. And I’m sorry about the arcade. I didn’t know you were so attached to it, but it is in ruins. E Corp could turn that dump into something big. You’re aware of the City of Code foundation, right?”

Darlene shrugs, nodding a little before flicking her lollipop stick into the garbage can closest to her. She had heard about it once or twice in the news or in passing on the subway.

Angela smiles, pleased with Darlene’s response. “I was planning on building classrooms for that foundation there.” Angela busies herself with playing with a frayed ironed on badge that dons Darlene’s jacket, clearly a little nervous to ask whatever she was about to ask of Darlene. “Maybe you could teach a few coding classes there,” Angela finally proposes in a quick breath.

 The former hacker can’t control the smile quirking up at the edges of her lips. It was sweet of her childhood friend to consider her for something so _good_. So _Angela_. “How charitable of you. And look, Mother Theresa, I’m flattered. Really. But could you honestly see me teaching little kids how to code? I’d end up smashing a keyboard over a table before they do,” she scoffs, causing the shorter woman to laugh a little in response. “Or maybe over their little skulls. Take your pick.”

“I wouldn’t have suggested it if I didn’t believe in you.” Darlene feels warm all over for a hot second from that. “If you are so enamored with that arcade, tell me why and I will consider suggesting a different location for the classrooms.” Angela states, shifting her weight to rest on the edge of her desk close to the window as she awaits her reply. She clasps her hands over her slacks, much more confident now seeing Darlene blush at her earlier words.

Darlene gnaws at her bottom lip, her skin erupting in goosebumps beneath her jacket. _Be more open with her, goddamn it. It’s just Ang. She’s **family**. _ She suddenly remembered she had put on lipstick and could now feel the weird wax texture behind her teeth. Shit.

“That was fsociety’s old….it was just… fsociety,” She answers after a few moments, staring out the window to avoid meeting the clear blue gaze of the other woman. She uses that as an excuse to attempt to lick away the lipstick trapped behind her front row of teeth.

She hears Angela breathe in response, coming up off the desk to wrap her arms around Darlene’s middle. Darlene stiffens for a moment, but brings a single hand to rub at the arm tight around her waist. Angela really was the most annoyingly affectionate person she knew. Only _a little_ annoying.

“Oh D, I’m an idiot. I forgot all about that. I’m so sorry, I’ll keep it for you,” She promises, rubbing her head against the taller woman’s clothed back, the leather causing her blonde hair to ruffle. She had forgotten all about the Alderson sibling’s old responsibility. That was a thing of the past, back when corrupt old men ran the business and the trio were just trying to save the world. Angela had long forgotten about the little underground community: E Corp’s men had been rotting in jail and Elliot had moved onto different things, the younger Alderson sister sometimes in tow. To be fair, Angela had never actually seen the physical location since her battleground was a large skyscraper in the heart of the city in a sea of black suits.

Darlene thinks back to the early days of their revolution, where Angela might have reacted completely different. Maybe she’d use her words and lash out at Darlene or some other poor coworker stuck under her wrath. Maybe she’d push and push until she made her cry her whole way out of the row of cubicles. That was when she couldn’t use her personal bias or emotions to sway her business decisions. The CEO sometimes has to make those decisions in that manner now, but Darlene gets that warm feeling when she realizes Angela isn’t using that approach towards her.

Darlene smirks before turning on her heel, wrapping both arms around the businesswoman’s waist. Angela rubs her hands up and down the brunette’s back, her blue eyes searching. “And you say _I’m_ the whipped one.”

Angela rolling her eyes fondly before ducking her head. She shifts her forehead forward to rest her head on the slightly taller woman’s shoulder, fingers rubbing against the worn material. Darlene had worn this jacket since college, well Darlene’s short stint at college. She lasted one semester at a local community college in Jersey before dropping out and opting for little jobs here and there before fsociety became big.

“I think we’d have to actually be dating for us to start deciding whose whipped and whose not,” Angela explains, her voice muffled by Darlene’s jacket.

Darlene breathes a little, her breath warm against blonde hair. She tried to ignore the somersaults her stomach was currently doing. She wondered if Angela could feel her heartbeat racing and thumping against her chest due to how close they were pressed together.

“Who said we weren’t dating?” she asks, pulling away from blonde hair to meet familiar blue eyes. Angela’s lips quirk in an amused smile briefly before Darlene closes her eyes and surges her head forward, connecting her lips with Angela’s.

It was clumsy at first, teeth clanking together and dry lips fumbling in-between each other’s and Darlene’s pretty sure she’s accidentally kissed Angela’s nose before Angela readjusts them, gently cradling a prominent cheekbone with a soft hand and swiping a tongue across warm lips before taking Darlene’s lower lip, kissing her oldest friend with the upmost care.

The brunette breaks away for air, eyes still closed and fireworks brimming beneath closed lids. “Where…did you learn…to kiss like _that_?” she asks as she regains her breath, eyes fluttering open to look incredulously into stunning blue eyes.

Angela flicks her eyes from Darlene’s eyes to Darlene’s lips, then back to her eyes again. “I…had a really good teacher a while ago,” She admits sheepishly.

Darlene snorts a little before twirling a strand of light hair to give her nervous hands something to do, her cheeks still tinged pink. “Was that your way of asking me out?” Angela asks in an amused tone but also genuinely curious. She didn’t want to be wishful thinking because if there’s one thing about Darlene, the girl can be unpredictable and a random but lovely kiss was definitely up her alley.

“Would you like to go out on a date with me?” Darlene asks dryly, eyebrows raised. She hoped her casual tone masked her nerves well, her heart was racing at the other woman’s slow response.

“I would love to. Where would you like to go?” Angela asks with a wide smile, winding her arms tighter around Darlene’s waist. It was sweet to see Darlene attempt to be cool even though her heart was beating a mile a minute against Angela’s blazer. She was surprised she lasted this long, she remembered the former hacker usually disliked mushy acts of affection.

“I know you could probably get into so many fancy ass restaurants with just your name alone, but we’re hitting up some humble beginnings, my lady. I’m taking you out to the arcade,” Darlene decides with a victorious grin, looking down at the shorter woman expectantly.

Angela rolls her eyes that leads into a fond smile before reaching up on her toes to give the other woman a quick peck. “As the lady wishes. I’ll send a car to pick you up around six, I have a meeting until 5:30. You still living at Elliot’s old place?” she asks before reluctantly detaching herself from the taller woman’s body to look over her schedule on her large desk.

“Unfortunately. You remember the address right?” she mutters, gathering her bag onto her shoulder.

“Yes unfortunately, I do. I’ll bring a bodyguard just for that godawful neighborhood” they both share a look and a grin. It really was a sketchy neighborhood. “You should really take up that teaching position at the code class. Then you won’t have to live in the sketchy part of town anymore,” Angela suggests with a smile, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she types up a quick email on her computer.

“I’ll think about it,” Darlene states simply before pressing a quick kiss to Angela’s plush cheek, surprising the other woman with the spontaneous act of affection. She turns on her heel, heading for the door.

“I’ll pick you up at six, don’t be late!”

“I know, I know!” Darlene smirks over her shoulder as she settles her sunglasses on her nose. “And to think you’ve known me all my life,” Darlene muses fondly, gripping the door and using it as leverage to turn to the other woman at the desk.

Angela bites her lower lip, smothering a grin. She was bouncing her heel clad foot under the desk excitedly. “I know you are _always_ late but try extra hard to not be late this time.”

Darlene smiles, internally ecstatic that the other woman was just as nervously excited for their date as she was. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”


	2. a proposal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set about a year after the previous chapter, both Angela and Darlene consider the possibility of marriage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to sincerely apologize for the horrendous tech talk featured in this chapter, I am not very educated on how one hacks their way through the database of an underground hacking community. Have some cuteness fluff instead!

Angela doesn’t know why she does this to herself. She spends what seems like hours and hours laying restless, Darlene’s arms wound comfortably around her in their shared bed as she whirls over thoughts in her head about the woman currently wrapped around her in a cozy embrace. She wanted these arms wrapped around her every night for the rest of her life. _They should get married_.

 _No. Stop it._ Darlene does not do marriage. She had a rightful excuse not to, her parents weren’t exactly a match made in heaven. She had no positive relationship to base her own on. Angela doesn’t remember much of her parents together either, her mother died when she was just a child. Her poor father had tried to date here and there but those failed. He chose to become a full time parent, opting to become both mother and father, rather than maintain a dating life. One thing she knew for certain, her mother and father adored each other and were committed to raising her in a happy, loving environment.

The blonde sighs as she readjusts her head on Darlene’s chest, sliding her hands up and under the former hacker’s large Star Wars t-shirt she had worn to bed that night. The brunette always seemed to be warm, no matter how many layers of clothes she wore. Angela fumbles in the dark for her girlfriend’s hand, intertwining them. She notes the lack of a ring on her left hand.

 _If_ they were to get engaged, Angela would of course give her girlfriend her late mother’s ring. Her father had given it to her as a graduation present, one of the few belongings she had of her mother. Sure, she could afford any ring she could possibly want but Darlene deserved _that_ ring. Angela sighs heavily once again, torturing herself with thoughts of such a permanent commitment to a woman who probably despises the thought of marriage.

Darlene shifts her head a little, her long brown hair ruffled from the pillow. She presses a kiss to the other woman’s temple, winding her arms around Angela’s exposed shoulders, pale in the dim bedroom. “Hush. You’re thinking too loud.”

Angela smiles sheepishly into the skin of Darlene’s collarbone, lightly kissing it before mumbling an apology. “Love you,” Darlene sleepily murmurs before dozing off once again, causing Angela to grin and snuggle even closer under her lover’s chin. “I love you too.”

 

* * *

 

 

What Angela doesn’t know, is that Darlene had been planning to propose to Angela for months. Years if you count the cheap plastic ring she won the blonde at the arcade back when they were children, Angela displaying the ring proudly when they strolled around the neighborhood as toddlers. Years had passed and the girls had aged to teens, dealing with the hormones and changes that was brought with those years. Darlene still couldn’t believe how lucky she was to now have the other woman in her life, not only as her oldest friend but as her equal. Of course, Darlene had worried immensely over the horrible outcomes to come from her proposal. What if Angela says _no_?

 _Stop it. Angela loves you more than anything else in the world._ The two had been dating for nearly a year now, Darlene moving into Angela’s large brownstone a few months ago. That was surely a sign of commitment, a thought that terrified the former hacker a mere year ago. The thought didn’t seem so scary anymore, perhaps because Angela was much more different than the scumbag assholes she dated in the past. She remembered telling both her brother and childhood friend stories of her horrible ex-boyfriends, one of her most previous ones, Cisco, trying to propose to her.

Darlene indulges in the thought of Angela possibly proposing to her, getting down to one knee with long blonde hair in waves over one shoulder with one hand outstretched holding a beautiful yet subtle ring. Darlene was well aware that her partner had a great deal of wealth, she had her own bit of money now too that she had garnered a job in the tech field at E Corp along with teaching a few coding classes for her girlfriend’s City of Code foundation. Although they had an abundance of money, both women understood and accepted that they would not take that for granted and turn it to greed. Darlene looks around online daily for different types of rings, her tastes entirely different to Angela’s, she just wanted her girl to have the best ring possible without being too extravagant. It’s kind of hard picking something out for someone who has everything.

Another thing her girlfriend doesn’t know: Darlene already asked Mr. Moss for his blessing. She used to find the tradition gross and outdated, but she knew deep down Angela was a bit more traditional than she was. She also just wanted to be absolutely sure about this big step in their relationship and wanted outside advice.

She had sat on the old couch of the Moss residence, shortly after the usual Sunday family dinner shared with Angela and her father. The blonde insisted on maintaining contact with her father and made a point to make sure Darlene was involved, her family was also Darlene’s family.

The two hour transit to Jersey, sometimes longer if traffic was bitch that day, would’ve drove Darlene nuts if she didn’t have her headphones or some type of snack or entertainment, usually fro-yo. But visiting with Angela’s father had actually become something Darlene looked forward to at the end of the week. She used to envy her girlfriend for having a stable, somewhat normal family life back at home. There would always be a big hug and a grilled cheese waiting for her once Angela returned from school, work, or a ballet class. In the Alderson household, Darlene avoided screams and slaps by playing outside with her scooter until Elliot had to hunt her down at ungodly hours in the night to bring her back home, ordered by their mom.

Angela had excused herself for a phone call outside on the back patio, something about a private matter dealing with E Corp, so Darlene took the opportunity. She nervously toys with a ratty quilt hanging over the back of the brown leather couch in the living room, Donald Moss sitting across from her and waiting expectantly after she stated she had an important question to ask him.

“Jeez Darlene, what’s the matter? Just spit it out. You got my girl knocked up, didn’t you?” he asks gruffly, only trying to lighten the mood. It works, Darlene cracks a smile at once behind a knuckle she was anxiously nibbling on.

“Afraid not, Dono. That may happen later down the road though,” She responds back playfully, only half serious. Her mind wanders to the thought of Angela sitting beside the large windows of their shared brownstone, pointing to numerous things outside their garden in the backyard as their child is swaddled up in the blonde’s arms.

_Jesus fucking Christ, Alderson. Get your shit together. One thing at a time. Get the old man to let you get hitched to his daughter first and then maybe start thinking about babies._

Donald’s graying eyebrows raise, a smile playing at his lips. “You want to marry my daughter, don’t you?” he asks, leaning forward in his recliner.

Darlene nods rapidly, clenching at the leather cushions beneath her. “It’s all I’ve been thinking about for a while. I really love her, more than I have ever loved anyone. I never thought I’d actually want to spend the rest of my life with someone, no less finding that in her.”

Mr. Moss chuckles fondly, knowing exactly what the young woman meant. “She has her moments, that’s for sure. But she is also very loveable, and I can see you clearly share that quality with her. Truthfully, I’ve always kind of knew you two were inseparable. You kids were never very good at being subtle,” He explains with bright blue eyes and a grin, patting a hand to Darlene’s knee.

The brunette purses her lips in contemplation, considering his words. She had known the woman in question nearly her whole life, she truly was her oldest friend. Had she really cared for and loved her all this time? If so, they were both idiots for not noticing and wasting time on stupid boys. Before Darlene can even thank the older man profusely for his blessing, Angela comes back into the house with a huff as she strips off her coat and slides her cell phone back into her pocket. “Sorry guys, just stupid work shit. Scrabble time!” she announces once she plops her body down next to her girlfriend’s on the couch, her father already up to search for the board game.

“I hope he didn’t embarrass me while I was gone,” Angela says with narrowed eyes, searching light blue eyes for any hint of betrayal.

Darlene shakes her head with a grin, leaning forward to catch the other woman’s lips for a quick peck. “Babe, I hate to inform you but I probably already know all the embarrassing stories. I have lived through all your awkward phases of life ever since we were kids.”

Angela laughs softly, resting her head on the brunette’s shoulder once her dad comes into the room with the game in his hands. “One underrated perk of dating your childhood friend: no chance for learning new awkward and or embarrassing childhood stories,” Angela decides, helping the man set up the board game.

His ears perk up at the mention of embarrassing stories, he was always up for teasing his daughter in front of her girlfriend. “Oh that reminds me! Does Darlene know about the tutu incident?”

Angela’s blue eyes widen in alarm, waving her hands and shaking her head in disapproval all while Darlene grins wickedly. “I was there! Her tutu unraveled right before ballet practice and her My Little Pony granny panties were on full display!”

The blonde huffs and crosses her arms, clearly unamused with stories of her past. “You guys are being mean. They weren’t even granny panties,” Angela grumbles as both her girlfriend and father laugh hysterically.

“It’s okay babe, I still love you and your granny panties.” Darlene coos before kissing the other woman’s cheek to make up for her teasing.

”That’s okay, laugh all you want because for one, you are sleeping on the couch tonight and two, I am totally about to beat both of your asses at Scrabble,” Angela states with a victorious grin, cracking her knuckles for effect before the trio begins their game night.

Angela did end up beating both their asses at Scrabble, her vocabulary much more refined allowed for longer words and higher point value. Darlene sort of expected her couch punishment and even Angela’s father did when he set her up with pillows and blankets.

Darlene lasts all of ten minutes before she attempts to tiptoe her way upstairs before she nearly topples over on the first step on the stairs, her body colliding into another body.

“Shit D, what the hell?” Angela rubs at her forehead. “Your head feels like a fucking anvil.”

Darlene grins and kisses the other woman’s forehead as a way for forgiveness. “Sorry, but my head is good for one thing because I’m pretty sure we’re telepathic! Were you sneaking down here to save my ass from my couch jail?”

“I was considering it until you head-butted me into the next decade. I’ll forgive you if you give me a piggyback ride back up to my room.” Darlene’s eyes shimmer with hope. “And maybe you can stay.”

“Deal!” Darlene hoists her girlfriend up on her back before she has a better idea. “Change of plan, bridal style baby!” Angela tries to contain her squeal of surprise as the other woman swoops her to her front and swaddles her close to avoid her head from smacking into the wall.

The stairwell creaks and groans with each step and Darlene’s about to put Angela down to avoid making any more ruckus, “Don’t. Just hoof it.”

Darlene narrows her eyes in the dim stairwell. “Your dad could wake up at any minute and we look sketchy as hell.” The loud cracks of thunder and pounding rain on the roof also contribute to the sketchy and loud atmosphere. Angela hangs onto the front of Darlene’s sleepshirt with one hand for grip and uses the other to smack her on the ass as an initiative.

She takes the hint. “Yes ma’am.”

They tiptoe their way quickly to Angela’s childhood bedroom, Darlene dropping the other woman onto the tiny twin mattress.

“Come here,” Angela whines, tugging on her girlfriend’s shirt but Darlene wants to look around the room a little longer. When they visit they usually only stay for dinner and a game of some sort but tonight’s summer storm prevented their drive back to the city.

“I haven’t been in here in a while.” She snoops through the closet, remembering some outfits. “When’s the last time you wore this? Junior high?” She turns around with a NSYNC shirt and a grin.

Angela groans and flops onto the pillows. “I’ve endured enough teasing from you and my dad to last me a lifetime.” She turns back around with a wicked grin. “I take that back. I remember some Pokémon shirts roaming around the high school hallways.”

Darlene scoffs, clearly offended. She jumps onto the small bed to join Angela. “Hey! To be fair, they were probably my brother’s because my clothes were dirty. Besides, I’d take Jigglypuff over Justin Timberlake any day.”

Angela doesn’t doubt it, Darlene was never one for boybands. She hugs her closer, both bodies snuggled close to avoid falling off the small bed. They’ve almost drifted off to sleep, the thunder rumbling softly in the distance the only noise disturbing the silence before Angela speaks up softly, “I’m surprised you didn’t find all my student loans buried in there.”

“It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. They’re useless after five/nine.” Darlene rolls over to face Angela. “Why do you still have them anyway?”

Angela settles onto Darlene’s chest, nearly ready to go back to sleep. “To remind me where I came from. Why I’m doing what I do and who I’m doing it for.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Honey? Are you coming up?” Angela yells from the upstairs master bedroom, Darlene downstairs at the couch with her laptop propped up in her lap.

 “I’ll be there in a sec!” she calls back, furiously typing up a quick rootkit into the Dark Army’s database. She had hacked her way through their systems, the organization was nowhere near as strong as they used to be now that White Rose was behind bars.

Darlene had found out the real reason behind Angela’s phone call from their previous dinner with Mr. Moss: E Corp was facing a scandal with their beloved CEO. The Dark Army was threatening to leak the old nude photos of Angela if an undisclosed sum of money wasn’t wired through. The charitable CEO was more than willing to donate to a worthy cause, but an elite Chinese underground hacking community was not her first choice for a donation.

The former hacker quickly scans through codes, doing a fast run-through of the server files she has wormed her way through. Now that White Rose was gone, the group really sucked at choosing discrete file names and passwords. With a smirk and a tap of a few keys, the photos were wiped from their database and backup drive.

She shuts the lid of her laptop with a huff, placing it on the coffee table before trudging up the stairs to join her girlfriend in bed. The bedroom was dim, Darlene could just make out Angela’s sleeping body curled in the sheets. She fumbles her way through the room, stepping on the sharp heel of one of the many pairs of high heels that the businesswoman owned and had carelessly placed around their bedroom.

Cursing a slew of profanities under her breath, the brunette finally finds the bed and settles herself in. She cuddles closer, wrapping her arms around the smaller body as Angela shifts her back into Darlene’s front. Darlene enjoys this contact, knowing it would be the last peaceful one before Angela finds out what she has done to protect her tomorrow morning.

 

* * *

 

Darlene wakes up to an empty bed the next morning, hands fumbling over the sheets to search for the other woman. She looks at the clock on the bedside table, it was only nine AM. Angela was probably already heading to work, the thought causing Darlene to sigh sadly.

Suddenly, a warm body appears from the foot of the bed and crawls up to hover over the brunette’s face. “Hi,” Angela murmurs, lips millimeters away from the pair beneath hers.

“Hey you. Why aren’t you at work right now?” Darlene asks groggily, eyebrows quirked up in confusion.

“I took the day off,” Angela explains nonchalantly, bringing a hand that wasn’t holding her weight up to trace Darlene’s left cheekbone.

The other woman purses her lips, considering Angela’s weird behavior. She must have received the news from work. She _had_ to.

“Not that I don’t love spending time with you, but why?” she asks, bringing her arms up to wrap around the blonde’s middle to bring her even closer.

Angela sighs happily, cradling her lover’s jaw as she shifts her lips closer. “Because my badass girlfriend just saved my ass even though she wasn’t asked to.”

They share a brief sweet kiss, Darlene wanting more before Angela teases the corner of her lip by peppering little kisses there all the way to her jaw. “And you’re not mad that I saved your ass?” she asks a bit hesitantly, considering Angela’s strange behavior. She knew this woman was fiercely independent and liked being in charge of her own issues.

The blonde stops her teasing kisses for a moment, bringing her face away to look at her lover. Darlene used to find this kind of gaze uncomfortable, hating the microscopic feeling. Now, she loved looking into those sparkling blue eyes. The eyes that have followed her for nearly all her life.

“I’m not mad at all. You know I can take care of myself,” She states, hands shifting behind her to remove the hands wrapped around her back and grips the other woman’s wrists, pulling them over her head to rest against the pillows. Darlene half groans and moans, Angela slightly grinding her hovering hips into Darlene’s own below.

“Yes you most certainly can,” Darlene responds with a smirk, looking up at the businesswoman currently dominating her above, her eyes shimmering with mischief.

“But, you know I also love it when your sweet side comes out to take care of me,” Angela murmurs against her lips, bending her head all the way down now and offering a proper kiss. Darlene tries to free her arms to touch the other woman but Angela refuses, breaking their kiss with a smirk.

With a whine, she bucks her hips up to find contact. Angela finally lets go off her grip on the other woman’s wrists to push herself up from the mattress so she can remove her pajama shirt. Technically, it wasn’t _her_ shirt. It was Darlene’s shirt, an oversized Smiths band tee, revealing absolutely nothing underneath.

Darlene surges her body forward, lips connecting against a pale bare breast as Angela sighs heavenly into brown hair, fingers threading into the little strands at the back of her neck. “Aren’t you glad you didn’t wake up to the rest of the world seeing all of _this_?” Angela asks teasingly, cradling Darlene’s jaw so she can kiss her.

The brunette hums in agreement, tightening her hold around her lover’s bare waist. “ _Very_ glad,” She purrs before Angela tugs Darlene’s own tank top off over her shoulders before going down and pressing light kisses across her chest and down her stomach, tracing over the few tattoos on her ribcage with a flick of her tongue.

Her tongue travels further, pressing desperate kisses to the milky skin on the inside of Darlene’s thigh. “I love you,” Angela murmurs against the skin, wet with saliva, her hot breath causing goosebumps to erupt onto the skin.

“I love you too,” Darlene huffs impatiently, canting her hips up to nudge the blonde’s head closer to where she was desperately needed. Angela smirks at Darlene’s impatience, pushing her teasing further to get the independent woman to actually beg for it.

Darlene senses this, shooting narrowed eyes down to the other pair of blue eyes positioned at the apex of her thighs, Angela’s eyes full of mischief. “Say please,” Angela orders into a breathy murmur behind smirked lips, smoothing hands up and over the other woman’s bare knees, gliding all the way up to massage her thighs.

“Please for the love of God,” Darlene moans, arching her back and hands gripping the pillows as Angela dives in with no warning, wet lips and a warm tongue meeting her pulsating center in a flurry.

“That’s a bit unorthodox of you to mention the Holy Ghost as you get eaten out by your amazing girlfriend,” Angela muses afterwards, Darlene coming off her high, the blonde crawling up to join the other woman at the pillows.

The brunette turns her head on the pillows, chest heaving slightly with fatigue. “Eh, you’re just okay.”

She earns a little smack to her bare shoulder for that comment, Darlene sticking her tongue out slightly before shifting her upper body up, hovering above Angela’s on the pillows. “I kid, I kid. You are the most badass person I know.”

Angela is pleased with her girlfriend’s sweet compliment, she surges her head up from the pillows to reward Darlene with a kiss. Darlene couldn’t handle how _good_ this felt, how _right_ it felt to feel Angela winding her hands around her shoulders and squeezing the muscles there with adoration. She tried to match the adoration she felt for this woman, the woman she has known nearly all her life and has grown to love, into their sweet kiss.

 As their lips part for air, Angela looks down at Darlene’s chest to devote most her attention to softly kneading them. “Ange, look at me.”

Angela obeys, their eyes never breaking as Darlene sends a hand down the smooth expanse of the blonde’s pale stomach, Darlene feeling the muscles hitch and flex with anticipation. She only breaks their gaze to kiss her lover again and again, moving her lips to nip lightly at the other woman’s neck as Angela moans into her ears which only made her want to create those delicious little noises even more.

She slides her hand even further in-between their bodies, Angela already slick and warm just from watching Darlene come a mere few moments ago. She winds her legs around the backs of Darlene’s knees, her face scrunched in pleasure as she cries out her lover’s name against the brunette’s shoulder.

Darlene moves her other hand to Angela’s chin, shifting the woman’s heads for their eyes to meet. She loved watching her girl unravel from her touch. Being the cause behind her release. It was almost too much to watch.

It proved to be too much for the blonde as well, pulling Darlene’s hand away and out of the sheets shortly after her orgasm subsides. She turns her exhausted body over on her side while holding onto Darlene’s arm, guiding the other woman into a spooning position. The brunette follows suit, draping an arm around her lover’s bare waist as Angela settles into the pillows. She had awoken much earlier than Darlene had, due to the phone call signaling the end of the nude photo scandal.

The former hacker waits a few more minutes, content with just breathing in the familiar scent of Angela’s shampoo and running her hands across the skin beneath the other woman’s navel. It made Darlene’s heart flutter that despite the fact Angela could more than afford bottles of very luxurious hair products, she still chose to use the same generic shampoo with the scent of strawberries that she has used ever since she was a kid.

With a gentle press of her lips to an exposed round cheek framed by ruffled blonde hair, Darlene pulls herself from the bed for a smoke outside on the balcony. She was trying to quit, Angela had bought dozens of Nicotine gum packets but she still hadn’t managed to break the bad habit. She never found a reason to until she met the love of her life, and she had intended on living for a long time without dying of lung cancer at age fifty.

She slips on one of the discarded shirts off the bedroom floor, a button-down that had a crumpled and nearly empty carton of Marlboro Reds in the shirt pocket, and grabs a pair of underwear from a drawer before excusing herself out on the brownstone’s balcony patio.

Settling into an outdoor chair, the woman fumbles inside her shirt pocket for a cigarette before realizing she left her lighter inside. She still had the little ring box inside however, the shirt she had randomly selected off the floor had been the shirt she’d worn to the jewelers. “God fucking dammit.”

“Here,” Angela says, the French balcony doors sliding open and a hand outstretched holding a little Bic lighter. Darlene shoots her girlfriend a look of approval masked behind fear, adjusting her messy hair on one shoulder to hide the bulge from the ring box inside the shirt pocket.

Angela’s eyebrows wrinkle in confusion and slight amusement before opting to light the other woman’s cigarette between her lips, the filter wobbling between nervous lips. Darlene coughs on the smoke, taking an unconfident hit due to the ring swaddled close to her chest and the woman she only hoped of marrying now taking a seat across from her.

“Not that I don’t love seeing you all flustered because of me, but are you okay? Babe?” Angela asks, voice thick with affection and concern as she rubs a comforting hand over Darlene’s shoulders, shaking with violent coughs.

Darlene nods eventually, tossing the cigarette into the little ashtray on the patio table. “Fuck it.”

Angela smiles, scooting her chair closer to Darlene’s seat. “Good girl.”

The brunette shoots her a sly glance before wrapping an arm over Angela’s robe clad one. “I am trying. It may kill me and the gum may taste like complete and utter shit, but I know I need to quit.”

The blonde settles her head onto Darlene’s shoulders, sighing a little in gratitude. “I appreciate the effort, honey. I really do. You know I appreciate you, don’t you?” Angela always tried to vocalize her pride for the other woman as she knew Darlene was still not quite accustomed to it due to the lack of positive affirmations, well positive _anything_ , from her childhood.

Darlene stifles a smile in blonde hair, inhaling the scent before pressing a kiss to her hairline. “I’m aware. You know I love you.” The ring box felt heavy against her beating heart, she wondered momentarily if Angela could feel or hear the loud beats.

Angela turns her head to kiss the exposed area of Darlene’s skin free of the large shirt, the friction of the bulky pocket stopping her. She sees the frayed carton of the Marlboros so she reaches for them to toss them out, Darlene reaching a hand up to stop her before the ring box is revealed.

She proves to be too late, both the cigarettes and the tiny velvet ring box coming out of the pocket and into Angela’s awaiting hands with a surprised expression. Darlene moves her head, closing her palm around the other woman’s knuckles. “Ange, wait.”

Angela’s blue eyes widen, dropping the carton immediately but turning the velvet box enclosing her engagement ring over in her hands. She was too scared and nervous to open it so she let Darlene gently take it out of her hands.

“You want to get married?” Angela asks haltingly, her breath getting caught between her words.

Darlene meets her eyes, gauging her reaction. At least she hadn’t scared the other woman off, screaming and shrieking off the patio. Not that she expected that from Angela, it was just her insecurities bubbling to the surface.

“I’ve never really wanted to get married, that’s not really my thing. Now, with you, I want…I just want you. Forever.” Darlene says softly, blinking back tears. Fuck insecurities. She loved Angela fucking Moss and wanted to make sure her girl knew it.

Angela murmurs sweet proclamations of love against Darlene’s lips, the flesh pressing sloppily against one another as Darlene fumbles the box open. The blonde breaks apart, looking down as she assists her _fiancée_ with the task. “Oh Darlene, I love it. It’s beautiful.”

Darlene watches her fiancée openly admire her new ring on her finger, tightening her hold around Angela’s waist before pecking her cheek. “You’re more beautiful than the ring.”

That comment causes Angela to pause from her session of admiration for her engagement ring, a fond smile erupting onto her face before reaching across to reward the other woman with a sweet kiss. “First, you save my ass and my career. Then, you fuck me senseless. And now you’ve put a ring on it. You’re on a roll, Ms. Alderson.”

Darlene hums in response, the vibrations buzzing back against Angela’s lips still hovering millimeters against her own. “That’s Mrs. Moss to you now.”

Angela cocks her head back in surprise, causing Darlene to look her in the eye for clarification. “Really? You’d take my name?”

She earns a grin and rapid nod for a response, causing Angela to surge forward and kiss her girl senseless, cradling her prominent cheekbones with the upmost care. Darlene never wanted anything more. Well, besides Angela of course. Taking her lover’s last name was just another bonus to her.

They stumble their way inside, collapsing onto their massive bed to resume what they started moments ago. They roll around in the sheets, elated with joy before Darlene just feels so full of love that she feels like she’s going to burst if she doesn’t let it out so she does with a loud scream. Angela shushes her immediately with a kiss and giggle, “Darlene! You’re going to wake up the whole street!”

“Fuck the street, I’m getting married to Angela fucking Moss!!!” She exclaims into a whoop which earns a loud laugh and a kiss from Angela. Darlene would have happily continued their love session, already peppering kisses onto Angela’s face before the body below her suddenly shifts, sending Darlene falling off the bed with a huff.

She rubs her bare bottom with a grouch, grumbling profanities as she crawls back onto the bed. “What was that for?”

Angela is already searching furiously for her cellphone, digging through the bedside table drawer. “I totally forgot! We need to tell my dad the news!”

Darlene smirks, pain long forgotten as she settles into her fiancée’s arms as buttons are dialed. Angela didn’t have to know that her father had known for weeks of her plans. She makes a mental note to have a private chat with her father-in-law, already imagining his first words to him once she sees the old man. “ _Finally”_ , he’d probably huff before grabbing her for a big hug. Typical overly-affectionate Mosses.

Yes, _finally_. Darlene had all she could possibly want right here.


	3. a family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angela and Darlene's life with their child (and pet turtle!).

Darlene shivers as she feels a weighted warmth run up and down her bare back, mixed with the tiny piece of cool metal also now gliding up her spine.

“I’m going to have to get used to that.”

Angela giggles into her hair, nuzzling her face into the other woman’s neck before popping back out again, her blonde waves ruffled. “Would you rather I not wear it?” Angela asks, teasing in tone.

Darlene tightens her grip on the other woman’s exposed hips, flipping her over on the ratty couch, the newest addition to the arcade. She relishes in the surprised little squeal that escapes from Angela’s lips, her blue eyes shimmering with amusement up at Darlene. “No. That ring cost me three paychecks, keep it on.”

“Three paychecks? Wow. Your boss needs to give you raise,” Angela murmurs, grinning before surging her lips up for a kiss.

“My boss,” Darlene drawls as she breaks away for air, “Is also my wife. That would look suspicious, don’t you think?”

Angela says nothing, her head drawing back on the cushions from their embrace slightly. She keeps her grip on the nape of Darlene’s neck, her fingers threading into messy brown hair. Her bright blue eyes sparkle more than usual.

“What? Speak woman,” the brunette orders amusedly with a little shake of the shoulders, half curious as to why Angela is staring up at her with wonder.

“You called me your _wife,_ ” Angela breathes, running a hand up and down the flexed arm Darlene was using to hold her weight up against the couch cushion. With a fond roll of her eyes, Darlene settles onto her back. Angela scoots to allow the room for the other woman to do so, before cuddling closer.

“They all said the honeymoon feeling was only supposed to last like, three months. We’ve been married for nearly half a year now. Will you ever look at me like a normal person?” She shakes the body above her slightly for emphasis.

Angela considers her question as she settles her chin on her wife’s bare chest, staring up at her with those big blue eyes crinkling with adoration. “Is the way I look at you a problem?” Angela quirks her head sideways, her pink lips in a slight smirk.

Darlene matches her amused smirk. “Not really.” She props her head up for their lips to meet. “Your whippedness is an appreciated quality.”

She breaks apart from the kiss, hand fumbling to the back of the couch for her previously discarded joint. Angela finds it first, relighting it with the lighter tucked under the couch cushion before passing it to Darlene.

The blonde takes her own hit. “My whippedness? You’re one to talk, Mrs. I-stayed-up-until-3 AM –to-hack-my-way-into-the-Chinese’s-biggest-underground-hacking-community-to-delete-naked-pictures-of-my-woman.” The smoke eases out of her mouth slow and hazy as she speaks.

Darlene scoffs, coughing up a little on the smoke. “It was more like 1 AM. And what about you! Mrs. I-commuted-2 hours-for-a-7 AM-ballet-class-just-to-see-my-banging-wife-dance.”

Angela purses her lips, expression still nostalgically fond over their ballet days before taking the joint, considerably smaller now, away to rest on the ashtray off to the side. “Okay, _that_ I can’t offer a rebuttal to. Truthfully, that was the only time I knew we’d get to see each other.”

“Because Darlene Alderson at 7 AM is a grand sight to see,” Darlene murmurs faux-indignantly, flickering her gaze back to awaiting blue after watching the pinball machine in the corner glitch to life.

“Darlene _Moss_ is a grand sight to see at any time,” Angela corrects, watching the neon lights of the arcade flicker against Darlene’s prominent cheekbone. She feels the urge to lightly touch the facial bone so she does so, tracing the freckle under Darlene’s left eye before easing her face up for a kiss.

The brunette smirks once they pull apart, pushing herself up on the couch and slipping on Angela’s discarded work blazer before sauntering across the dim arcade. Angela had kept her promise and kept the arcade for her wife, only doing little renovations here and there like restocking the concession counter and adding a couch. They’d just gotten off work, shared a bite to eat at the McDonald’s closest to the corporation. They weren’t in the mood for slow and quiet dinner reservations at ridiculously priced five star restaurants. Both women could get in anywhere with just the mention of their last name, but they also both shared the affinity for not abusing their power and privilege. So, the pair opt for fast food and fooling around in their arcade.

“Your clothes smell like work,” Darlene muses with a wrinkle of her nose.

Angela groans in response, stretching out her back muscles against the uncomfortable material. She takes advantage of the new free space, letting her long pale legs stretch to the bottom half of the couch. “And what does E Corp smell like?”

“Printer paper,” Darlene splutters out and Angela laughs at the random but very true outburst, a big goofy laugh that makes Darlene grin just from the sound. She turns around once the little giggles die down, her grin still plastered on her face just from the sight. Her Angela in all her glory, her blonde hair all ruffled and only wearing her underwear. It looked like the Angela she remembered during high school, the hazy excitement and contentment drizzled across her face. The women could very much be in Angela’s childhood bedroom after a successful ballet recital, that’s how happy she felt.

Darlene tightens the blazer wrapped around her bare middle as she saunters over to the concession counter to fill her Big Gulp with beer. “It just smells…sterile. The weed hasn’t seeped into it yet.”

“Thank God,” Angela mumbles, reaching a hand out to the cup Darlene had outstretched to her. “I know I bitch and moan about the smell of weed but I’m going to miss this. The feeling of it.” She turns to Darlene after she takes a sip of the beer, the brunette’s arm tense under the blazer once she recaptures her beverage. Darlene had a feeling where this was going. “I know I can’t participate in Elliot and I’s special movie nights or just _this_ anymore,” Angela reiterates slow and easy, smoothing a hand down to her bare stomach.

She turns to Darlene with a fond, expecting smile. “Isn’t good for the baby.”

Darlene looks away, acting as if she was going to refill her cup once again. She uses this as leverage to exhale a breath. _A baby._ Angela always seemed to be talking about babies now. Sure, they had discussed it a couple times here and there when they were engaged, but it was always kept brief. Darlene only entertained in the thought once or twice, she had never even considered the possibility until she got together with Angela.

She accidently overfills the cup, the warm beer sloshing over the rim and dripping down her fingers. “Shit.”

Angela meets her there, dabbing at the spill with the napkins kept in the concession counter’s cabinets. Darlene can feel her wife’s eyes burning into her face, searching for a reaction.

“W-w-we could be like those hippie moms. Let it eat pot brownies and shit. Name it Mary Jane,” Darlene attempts to joke weakly, coughing out a nervous laugh as she helps wipe up the mess.

The blonde merely clicks her tongue. “Be serious, D. I’m not in any rush but I’m approaching thirty-five, you know it’s not good to have babies that old.”

Darlene furrows her brow at Angela’s turned form, tossing the soggy napkins into the trashcan by the counter. “Thirty-five is old?”

Angela gives her a little smile once she turns around, walking slowly towards her. She wraps her arms around Darlene, her chin slotting onto the other woman’s shoulder perfectly. “I wouldn’t bring it up with you if I didn’t think you wanted this as much as I do.”

Darlene freezes, automatically racking her brain for anything that might’ve thrown off the possible hint that she wanted children.

Angela feels her stiffen and grins against her shoulder. “You know, for a computer nerd you’d think you’d be fairly good at clearing your search history. Really, Darlene? Top baby names for 2021? I’d think you would want something a little less mainstream than that.”

She earns a scoff from Darlene for the mainstream comment, the brunette turning away to rest her beer cup on the pinball machine close by to distract herself. Angela lets her be for a moment, busying herself with organizing the condiments on the counter before walking over to hug the other woman.

The clattering of the pinball machine stops momentarily and Darlene halts before sighing heavily, rubbing the arm wrapped around her under the blazer.

“I _do_ want a kid with you, Ange. And that scares the hell out of me,” Darlene says softly, voice breaking a little at the end. She feels Angela raise her head out from in between her shoulder blades to gather up her brown hair on one shoulder so she can rest her head on the newly exposed area.

“It’s okay to be scared, that’s natural for first time parents.”

Darlene smirks a little, turning to rest against the pinball machine, Angela slotting her leg in between and her hips pin into Darlene’s slightly. “Already reading the parenting books?”

Angela ignores the tease, settling for rubbing her hand slowly up and down Darlene’s blazer-clad back. “What’s scaring you the most? The actual baby or the idea of being a parent?”

“The childbirth,” Darlene says suddenly and it makes Angela burst with laughter at the sudden statement, causing her wife to scowl at her. “It’s not funny, it looks fucking terrifying.”

“Oh honey,” Angela coos once her laughs settle. She presses a kiss to Darlene’s lips. “You don’t have to do that. I want to carry it.”

Darlene stiffens slightly, but is grateful she wouldn’t have to endure the pain of childbirth. “But what about your job? This is a really big deal, I know it means a lot to you.”

Angela merely shrugs, tightening her hold around Darlene’s hips. “There’s a thing called maternity leave, have you heard of it?” She receives a little smack on her bottom for that sarcastic comment. “Besides, my career isn’t everything. I can handle a little setback. You’re worth it.” She nuzzles her face closer to press a quick peck to the other woman’s lips. “Our baby is worth all the pain.”

“I’m gonna hate seeing you in so much pain,” Darlene muses with a sad sigh, dropping her head to rub her cheek against ruffled blonde hair.

“I know what I’m getting myself into. I might not even be awake for it all, I could need a C-section. My mom had that with me.” Angela lets the thought roll over her in head, momentarily wishing her mother was still with her for some maternal advice on bringing a child into the world.

Darlene holds the other woman a little tighter at the mention of her dead mother-in-law. She pulls away from the embrace after a few moments of content silence due to her legs turning to pins and needles from the long position, and reaches behind her for her drink. She walks over to the row of skee-ball machines, taking a long sip of the warm beer before laying down on the rubber stretch beneath her, her usual resting spot.

She draws a hand up and down her stomach, exposed from the blazer. “The baby wouldn’t be mine. We’d have to get a donor if you insist on carrying it.” Darlene finds her voice dripping with melancholy, wishing for something she never thought she’d wind up wanting.

Angela comes over and settles onto her knees in front of the row of machines the color of bubblegum, the pastel slightly gritty with age. The blonde smooths her hands over and under Darlene’s knees before nuzzling her head onto her exposed stomach. “You will be in every way that matters.” Her voice is as soft as her nuzzling cheek. She presses a kiss to the brunette’s stomach to emphasize her point.

The mood shifts entirely once those deep blues lock onto the other woman’s eyes. “Darlene, I want our baby to have your genes.” She looks down solemnly at the woman beneath her, proving how serious she meant her wish.

Darlene props her head up, her jaw slacked incredulously. “You can’t be serious.” She didn’t know if she even _wanted_ the other woman to clarify her words but she had a feeling what the blonde was about to say.

The other woman merely raises her eyebrows expectantly. “Unless you have a better idea, I think we should talk to Elliot about being a possible donor. I know you may not like that plan but I want our child to be a perfect mix of both of us.”

Darlene wanted to hurl all her beer back up, her skin erupting in uncomfortable prickles everywhere. She always felt like this ever since she was a teenager, witnessing little interactions between her brother and Angela. She knew they were strictly platonic, but she couldn’t help but feel jealous whenever she saw them hugging or touching each other. She couldn’t even explain why she had this strange hold on her, she’s felt like this ever since he became friends with Angela.

Maybe it was because Elliot was so hell-bent against absolutely no physical contact and the fact that he openly let Angela touch him more often made her jealous. Lately he was getting better, ever since fsociety achieved its goal all those years ago and because of his short little visits with Tyrell in prison. Darlene still couldn’t help but feel shackled to her insecurities.

Angela pulls herself up off Darlene’s body slightly, jutting her head back in disbelief. “If your reason behind disagreeing with this is because of what I think it is, I’m going to be _really_ upset.”

Grumbling in response, Darlene instinctively cuddles into the blazer to hide herself. She still felt the hot prickles everywhere on her skin and Angela’s gaze wasn’t helping. “Sorry that the thought of you carrying my brother’s kid grosses me out.” She puts on a brave face and locks eyes with Angela’s widened ones. “Just a tad.”

“Are you fucking serious, Darlene? I mean good God, honestly? I thought we were past this, we ought to be by now considering we’re, you know, _married_.” Angela taps her gold band against the metal of the machine beneath her as a reminder.

Huffing out an exasperated sigh, Darlene rolls over slightly from her position. She hoists herself up to look at her wife. “I’m aware of that, babe. But you have to admit I have a right to be a little hesitant on this! And you totally wigging out on my insecurity shit doesn’t help!”

Angela sighs, running a hand through her hair before considering her words. “I _am_ sorry if I made you feel like your insecurities weren’t valid, because they are. And this doesn’t have to be rushed, it’s going to be a process. But you also have to admit that there’s no need for you to get jealous between me and your brother. Elliot is just a friend, he’s practically my own brother and he feels the same way about me. Okay? If I hadn’t made it clear before for whatever reason…” She searches Darlene’s light blue eyes for sincerity. “I don’t want him in any other way besides a friendship.”

She cradles a hand behind Darlene’s neck, threading her fingers through the hair there and saddling closer in between her spread thighs on the machine. “You however...” Angela trails off with a mischievous grin, biting her bottom lip and meeting Darlene’s flirtatious eyes.

“You sure know how to ease a girl’s mind,” Darlene moans breathily, leaning all the way back and taking Angela with her, hitching her legs around the backs of Angela’s bare thighs.

The blonde presses little kisses under the other woman’s jaw and down her neck, pushing away the blazer off her shoulders for more access. “I know how to do a few more _other_ things.”

 

* * *

 

 

_3 months later…_

Darlene settles onto the leather couch with a bottle of cheap Budweiser, Angela knew she preferred the cheap stuff compared to the bourgeois expensive crap she tried getting her in the past. She started cuddling deeper under the blanket as the opening title to the most recent episode of the Bachelor starting playing, she used to despise the reality show but her wife got her hooked on crappy reality television shows.

A mixture of a squeal and a yell coming from behind her startles her, and she immediately rises up from the couch. “Babe? Everything okay?”

Angela practically skips over from the bathroom closest to the living room, holding a slim white stick in her clasped hands. She outstretches it to her wife, hopping on her feet excitedly.

“Is that…?” Darlene starts and can’t find the words to finish her inquisition, fumbling to set her drink down on the coffee table. Angela nods rapidly, turning the stick over in her hands to reveal the answer.

 _Positive_. They were going to have a _baby_.

 

* * *

 

 

Darlene couldn’t get over just how fast everything seemed to be going. It all started just a mere few months ago with a donation from Elliot, to long appointments in doctor’s offices, to now _this_. The two women had just gotten off work, Angela examining cribs with a serious expression.

“Babe, these are insane! They look like they’re from the 1800s or some Oregon Trail shit,” Darlene mutters, flicking the cloth decoration dangling from an antique crib and bassinet set.

Angela chuckles, removing her grip on the cherry oak wood banister to settle onto her protruding stomach. “I remember that game! You used to always creep me out with that scary music that always played when a character died.” She fondly remembers days spent afterschool upstairs in the old Alderson home, playing ancient CD-ROM games on the dusty Microsoft ’98 monitor. “I feel like you killed off your characters on purpose just to freak me out.” She pats Darlene on the bottom as she passes her to look at a more modern and sleek white crib. “You’re so morbid.”

Darlene rolls her eyes fondly, stuffing one blasting earbud into her ear to drown out Angela’s gooey sarcastic coos to her slightly large belly about how morbid her other mother was. She keeps her other ear open in case her wife needed her.

She examines the array of toys for her unborn child, most being really ugly or gender-based of course. The expecting mothers still didn’t know the gender of their child, but Angela had a maternal instinct that it was a boy. Something about sending Darlene out to Taco Bell at ungodly hours for really spicy food somehow translated into their child being a boy. All because of a craving for a spicy taco.

The brunette thinks about the toys she and Elliot played with when they were kids. They didn’t have a lot of the newer stuff, they could never afford it. She had settled for her trusty scooter or sticking to the free toys offered by the outdoors, but occasionally their dad would bring home a used Gameboy or something off brand of the technical realm. She makes a mental note to look around eBay for a GameCube before Angela calls her over.

“What do you think of this one?” The blonde asks sweetly, running a hand across smooth white ceramic material of a very modern looking crib.

The crib wasn’t anything too flashy but also very elegant, shiny eggshell white painted wood with black accents. It was the perfect mix of the two mothers. “I love it. I like the black and white theme, I could totally see a Darth Vader plush toy inside here for our little guy.” She seals her thoughts with a kiss to Angela’s cheek.

“Or girl,” Angela happily reminds, shifting her head a little to press a quick peck to Darlene’s lips as she scatters away to find a sales clerk to ring them up. “Or a girl,” Darlene murmurs to her wife’s retreating back, mentally imagining little scenarios for her possible unborn child. She hadn’t really thought about having a daughter much, she had admittedly trusted Angela’s intuition for a male child a little too strongly. However, now that the other woman had mentioned it, Darlene found herself thinking about another female addition to the Moss-Alderson family constantly.  She only hoped these last next few months of Angela’s pregnancy flew by quickly so she could meet the new addition to her little family.

 

* * *

 

 

_3 months later…_

Darlene didn’t know where to look: her wife’s face, covered in sweat and looking completely exhausted but elated with joy all at the same time, or their daughter’s face, scrunched up in a shrieking cry.

“Hey baby girl, shh it’s okay. I’m you’re mommy, well one of them,” Angela sobs out, laughing back more sobs as she attempts to wipe away at her tears with her free hand.

The other mother comes over to help adjust the baby in her arms, kissing away one stray tear on Angela’s cheek. “She’s gorgeous, Ange. I see so much of you in her already.”

Angela blinks back at her, looking at her seriously with watery eyes before giggling. “Um, hello? Do you see this thick head of hair?” She runs a hand through a crown of dark hair to prove her point.

“Do you see these wonderful little pair of eyes?” Darlene retorts with fondness, shifting the little figure in her arms for her wife to get better look. Their daughter had settled her cries, only gurgling and cooing softly now as she swaddled comfortably in her pink hospital blanket.

Deep little blues blink back at Angela and both woman feel like their world stops in orbit just in that one tiny moment. “So blue,” the blonde muses, rubbing her thumb gently across the infant’s flush pink cheek.

“Think up a name yet?” a nurse asks once she pulls their baby away for more cleaning and tests. Angela turns back to Darlene with a smile and a squeeze to her hand. 

The pair had selected the name months ago, naming their daughter after Angela’s late mother. “Emily.”

 

* * *

 

 

_4 years later_

“Emmy! D! I’m home!” Angela calls out from the brownstone foyer, dropping her keys into its rightful dish and hanging up her trench coat on the hook. The proclamation was useless, her daughter was already bounding down the stairs excitedly.

“Mommy!” Emily hops up into Angela’s awaiting arms, giving her neck a squeeze with her little arms.

“There’s my girl! What’d you and your mama do all day?” The blonde asks after pressing a kiss to the girl’s cheek.

“We played LEGO Island! And Oregon Trail! One and two!” Emily begins listing off all the hard travels her pioneers had to endure on their travels in the fictional computer game.

Darlene comes down the stairs moments later, smiling sheepishly at her wife. “Our girl is such a hipster. I tried getting her into my newer games but to no avail.” She meets Angela’s lips for a kiss and ruffles Emily’s long dark hair.

“Did you guys even leave the house? Or come down the stairs at all?” Emily’s giggle and another sheepish shrug from her wife answers her question. Angela groans as she sets down her daughter back onto the ground. “You guys should go play outside! Why don’t you try out that new scooter mommy got you?” Angela had purchased a new Razor scooter for her child last Christmas, reminiscent of Darlene’s old one.

“But Mario Kart is so much cooler! I got to be Princess Rosalina and mama was King Boo!” Emmy begins explaining the importance of Coconut Mall as Darlene sticks her tongue out, mimicking King Boo, and Angela’s laugh rings out through the kitchen as they begin to prepare dinner.

Angela opts to bound up the steps with her daughter for a little ballet practice, Darlene had converted a spare guest bedroom into a ballet studio as a surprise for one of her previous birthdays.

“Can you show me an echappe?” Angela asks, finishing up her stretch routine as Emily did a few random twirls, waiting for her mother to finish.

The child nods before completely the move, her mother rewarding her with a clap. “That was awesome, Emily! You’re getting so good, even better than me and your mom at your age.” She earns a giggle for that. She kisses the crown of her daughters head before settling on the hardwood floor, Emily joining her.

Angela begins to wordlessly take the child’s soft brown hair down from its bun and separate it into two pieces for a braid, an activity she loved doing with her daughter. “You know, I met your mom at ballet class.”

“Was it love at first sight with you and mama?” Emily asks, turning her head to meet her mother’s eyes after she completes the braid. The child remembers that theme as a common occurrence in the stories her mother read to her before bed. Angela purses her lips in contemplation, turning the question over in her head.

She opts for gathering her child into her lap, holding her close. “I didn’t know it then, we both didn’t. Your mother and I have always been in each other’s lives as a lot of different things. Truthfully, I think she always had a way bigger crush on me.” She tugs lightly on the end of Emily’s braid, both erupting in giggles. The smoke alarm ruins their bonding moment and they get up off the floor quickly to inspect what happened downstairs.

Darlene, appearing in the middle of a thick cloud of smoke, meets them with a sheepish shrug. “I may have accidently burned dinner.”

Once their pizza delivery arrives and settles in the stomachs, the little family gets comfortable in the living room for movie night. The mothers let the girl pick the movie selection, some new animated feature that neither women particularly care about. Darlene uses that as leverage to have some alone time with her wife.

“How was work?” the brunette asks as she peppers little kisses into Angela’s exposed neck. She was a little curious on the gossip that spread about the cubicles at E Corp, she stopped working at the company a few years prior to spend more time with her child at home.

Angela cranes her head over her shoulder to interrupt the love session on her neck for a proper kiss on the lips. “It was fine.” She nuzzles her forehead under Darlene’s chin and adjusts her arms for a comfortable cuddle. “We got a flood of new college interns.”

“And?”

The blonde’s head pops back up and meets the other woman’s eyes. “One intern asked for my number.” Angela can feel her wife fume beneath her, causing her to smile smugly. “I think he was dared to ask by his friends. Surely everyone knows I’m married by now.”

“He should know,” Darlene spits between gritted teeth.

Angela silences her jealous rage with a sweet kiss to her cheek, loosening the locked muscles in Darlene’s jaw. “If you need a reminder,” she brushes her fingers over Darlene’s slightly parted lips, the coolness of her ring causing the woman the hair on her arms to raise in goosebumps. “I’m yours.”

Darlene grins, grabbing Angela’s hand before she pulls away to press a kiss to her knuckles. “Damn right you are. Besides,” Darlene drawls, propping her head up with her arms beneath her skull triumphantly. “He really is an idiot if he hadn’t heard the matrimonial news. USA Today called our wedding ‘the most iconic tech union of the modern generation’”.

“Zuckerberg’s got nothing on us,” Angela states with a smug smile and starts bobbing her head victoriously. Darlene hums the GTA San Andreas theme and bobs her head along, looking like something out of a rap music video, making the blonde collapse on top of her in hysterical giggles.

Emily whines, turning around from her blanket fort set up on the floor in front of the large plasma screen. She cradles Darlene’s tiny pet turtle, Esmerelda, close to her face. “You guys are too loud! Esmerelda doesn’t appreciate it!” The mothers look at each other apologetically before turning their attention back to the film to please their child.

Afterwards, once baths have been taken and stories have been read and the youngest member of the Moss-Alderson family has been tucked in, the women of the house head into their own master suite for some much needed alone time sharing a bottle of wine in bed.

“I want another one,” Darlene states softly, smoothing a hand up and under Angela’s sleep tank top.

“Another drink?” Angela asks hazily, sleep threatening to succumb over her.

Darlene clicks her tongue, readjusting her head on the other woman’s shoulder in order to look at her in the dim light of their bedroom. “No, silly.” She pecks Angela’s chin to get her attention before she lost her to sleep. “Another baby.”

Angela stiffens, she wasn’t expecting that but chuckles anyway. “Wait a few more years. I’m not ready for four hours of intense childbirth all over again.”

“I could carry the next one,” Darlene proposes thoughtfully after a few moments of silence, drumming her fingers on Angela’s bare shoulders.

That proposition causes Angela to throw back the covers completely, reaching over to flip on the bedside lamp. “You’re serious?”

“You don’t think I could handle it?”

Angela shakes her head rapidly. “No, not at all!” Darlene furrows her brow in hurt. “No, not like that, I mean I just…never considered it. I thought you would be against the whole thing. I remember in biology you nearly puked at the ‘Miracle of Life’ video.” Her plush lips quirk in a little smile, memories of high school idling in her slightly inebriated brain.

“It still scares me a little,” Darlene admits quietly, tucking herself closer under Angela’s chin.

The sheepish statement made Angela’s heart swell. Her dominate, invincible, menace to society Darlene who was scared to become responsible for two children.

“It’s okay to be scared,” Angela reminds her wife, just like she had all those years before in the arcade. Their arcade.

Darlene exhales, rubbing her cheek affectionately against the other woman’s. “I love you, you know.”

“I know. I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew. I feel like that was a really long chapter. I just had a lot of domestic Moss-Alderson fam feels, ya feel? Anyways, sorry this took so long to update! To whomever left kudos or just read a sentence, you're cool. <3


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